Mnuchin says some Americans may receive stimulus payments tonight

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin tweeted on Tuesday evening that the second round of stimulus payments "may begin arriving as early as tonight" for Americans who have set up direct deposit with the Internal Revenue Service.

The government will begin mailing out paper checks on Wednesday. In a statement, Mnuchin said the Treasury Department and IRS "are working with unprecedented speed to issue a second round of Economic Impact Payments to eligible Americans and their families. These payments are an integral part of our commitment to providing vital additional economic relief to the American people during this unprecedented time."

Last week, Congress voted for $600 direct payments to Americans, down from the $1,200 stimulus checks sent out in the spring. On Monday, the House voted to increase the $600 payment to $2,000, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday blocked a vote from taking place in the Senate.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Later, McConnell introduced a bill that would boost the checks to $2,000, while also repealing legal liability protections for tech companies and creating a commission to study election issues — two demands made by President Trump that are opposed by Democrats.